Private Nonprofit Graduate Strong 70/100

Bryn Mawr College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

About Bryn Mawr College

Thinking about Bryn Mawr College, a college in Pennsylvania where more students graduate in Social Sciences than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Bryn Mawr College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It enrolls 1,359 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
29.4%
Graduation
72.5%
Net Price
$31,759
Median Earnings (10yr)
$75,217
Enrollment
1,359
Student : Faculty
8:1

Accreditor Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Strong
70/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 89
Value 36
Affordability 10
Selectivity 91

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Bryn Mawr College admits 29.4% of applicants, which makes it genuinely competitive, so your application needs to be strong.

Acceptance Rate
29.4%
Selective
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1280 – 1510
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
29 – 33
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Bryn Mawr College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↓ 2.0 pts since 2019
33.1%201938.4%202039.3%202130.7%202231.1%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $31,759 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$31,759
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
15%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
49%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$65,920
Room & Board (on-campus)
$19,400
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,000
Total Cost of Attendance
$83,250

Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $11,017
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $18,457
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $17,262
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $19,330
  • Over $110,000
    $40,085

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$5,500
10% percentile
$12,000
25% percentile
$25,000
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$30,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $20,683 ↓ $4,317
No Pell $21,959 ↓ $3,041
Dependent students $20,500 ↓ $4,500
Independent students $25,000 —
Female students $21,000 ↓ $4,000
Male students $25,000 —
Pell recipients: 15.4% (3,855 students)No Pell: 16.4% (4,092 students)Dependent students: 15.3% (3,821 students)Independent students: 18.6% (4,659 students)Female students: 15.7% (3,914 students)Male students: 18.6% (4,659 students)Overall Median$25,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,250, less than completers ($25,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

72% of students who start here finish within six years, and 91% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
72%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
91%
Returning for their second year
What this means: High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $75,217 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$75,217
Earning > $25K
90%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$50,000$55,000$65,000$70,000$80,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$63,700

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$73,700

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$52,500

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 9.8 pts across 6 years
81.8%1yr83%3yr87.5%5yr91.6%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 92% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,359 students, a small, close-knit community.

Total Enrolled
1,359
Part-Time
1%
First-Generation
15%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 50.8% 690
International 13.1% 178
Asian 11.9% 161
Hispanic 9.1% 124
Other 7.1% 96
Black 4.9% 66
White: 50.8% (690 students)International: 13.1% (178 students)Asian: 11.9% (161 students)Hispanic: 9.1% (124 students)Other: 7.1% (96 students)Black: 4.9% (66 students)Total1,359

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Bryn Mawr College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Housing
Strongly residential 1,279 beds for 1,359 students
Adult Learners
1% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Women's college

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Public Administration graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Bryn Mawr College offers an extensive catalog of programs: 43 distinct programs across 16 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

2 Programs
1 Program
3 Programs
7 Programs
8 Programs
2 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 8 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
8:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$1.4B
Strong financial cushion supports aid and stability
Avg Faculty Salary
$107,489
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

192 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 46 24% $161,562
Associate Professors 43 22% $111,308
Assistant Professors 42 22% $92,336
Instructors 7 4% $63,357
Lecturers 27 14% $89,941
No Rank 27 14% $61,843

Pros & Cons of Bryn Mawr College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Bryn Mawr College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Above-average graduation rate
  • Strong first-year retention
  • Above-average post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Selective admissions, solid academic profile expected
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Very high published cost of attendance (full-pay families pay much more than the net-price average)
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for: Based on the data, Bryn Mawr College is a fit for students prioritizing post-graduation earnings; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bryn Mawr College

The questions families ask most about Bryn Mawr College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Bryn Mawr College hard to get into?
Bryn Mawr College is highly selective. Its acceptance rate is 29.4%, so admitted students generally have strong grades, competitive test scores, and a well-rounded application.
What is the acceptance rate at Bryn Mawr College?
29.4% of applicants are admitted. Fewer than a third of applicants get in, so treat it as a stretch rather than a safe bet. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Bryn Mawr College?
Aim for 1510 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1280 and 1510 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Bryn Mawr College?
Aim for 33 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 29 and 33 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Bryn Mawr College cost?
Budget around $31,759 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Bryn Mawr College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $75,217 a year against a net price of $31,759, about 2.4 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Bryn Mawr College known for?
Mostly Social Work, Health/Medical Preparatory, Psychology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Bryn Mawr College graduates earn?
About $75,217 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Bryn Mawr College accredited?
Yes. Bryn Mawr College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Bryn Mawr College?
1,359 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Bryn Mawr College?
72% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Bryn Mawr College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Bryn Mawr College located?
Bryn Mawr College is located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
What programs does Bryn Mawr College offer?
43 different programs, most commonly Social Work, Health/Medical Preparatory, Psychology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Bryn Mawr College?
8 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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